A three-year effort to make boys lacrosse a varsity sport at Windsor High School came to fruition last Monday night when the Windsor School District’s Board of Directors voted unanimously to approve a recommendation field a team.
The team will play its first varsity games in the spring.
“I’m just thrilled,” said Sandy Helzer, one of the parents who helped to organize the lacrosse program.
“It makes all those gray hairs I got worth it. And, for these boys to be able to letter in a varsity sport, this is big thing.”
Windsor High School Athletic Director Mark Kanagy made the recommendation to the board.
Kanagy said his decision to seek the inclusion of lacrosse as a varsity sport was based on a survey, participation over the past three years, and assurance that the addition of the boys sport would not violate Title IX guidelines.
Kanagy said there were 58 respondents to his survey last year with about 30-40 serious enough to play club lacrosse.
“If there were enough participants within the high school walls, I was going to consider recommending as a varsity sport,” Kanagy told the board. “They had 30 members come out (to play club lacrosse last spring) so I think we have the numbers to support it.”
The Windsor club team played other club teams last spring and played successfully, winning the Eagle County LAX Tournament by defeating Glenwood Springs, Durango, Aspen and tying Battle Mountain.
Kanagy said his final consideration before recommending the team for approval was to check with Kathy Rigsby, with the Interwest Equity Assistance Center at Colorado State University, and make sure that the team would be in compliance with Title IX guidelines.
“She said we are not currently underrepresented (by female athletes),” Kanagy said. “She said it should not be a barrier and gave her nod to it.”
Kanagy said the lacrosse team would play its games at Dudley Field and would likely practice on an adjacent junior varsity soccer practice field. He said the team’s schedule should not conflict with girl’s soccer.
He also said the newly-formed team will play in an 8-team league that will include Fort Collins Unified, Loveland (Thompson Unified), Boulder, Fairview, Monarch, Mountain Range and Alexander Dawson.
Kanagy added that lacrosse is on the rise. He told the board that there will 55 teams in Colorado next spring, up from 38 last year.
The athletic director said his next task will be to post a coaching position and get it filled.